A Humble, Joyful Servant

Last weekend, we celebrated Chile’s biggest national holiday, Fiestas Patrias.  Chileans go crazy for the 18^th!  Throughout the city, there were many large carnivals/ fondas (about 100xs bigger than the one I described in the previous entry that we had at our school).  Our weekend was full of different events, starting with a Mass and dinner on Thursday and ending with a barbecue and mini-fiesta at our house on Monday.  I was able to spend all of Sunday (the actual 18^th, Dieciocho) with the host family that I lived with when I studied abroad, which was so much fun and such a blessing.  They took me to a giant carnival called the Fonda Intercomunal.  There, I got to see a huge horse and dance show that depicted the history of Chile…starting with the dances and horse-riding of the indigenous Mapuche, moving through the  colonization by Spaniards in elegant horse-drawn carriages, introducing the classic “huaso” (cowboy) dances, and incorporating dances from Easter Island, the Argentinian tango, traditional Peruvian dances, and, of course, the national dance of Chile, the cueca.  I also got to see a rodeo, which are very common in Chile due to the country, huaso cultural tradition.  Here are some pictures from the different weekend events: 

With members of the Church choir at the Church Fonda

Chileans out on the dance floor dancing the beloved cueca

People at the big Intercomunal Fonda watching the horse/dance show

    Getting ready to start the show

The Mapuche riders and dancers

SO MUCH MEAT.

Many of the kids dress up in traditional huaso/huasa clothing for the carnivals.  Precious.

  Getting ready for the rodeo.

Probably my most favorite celebration of the weekend occurred last Thursday.  Each year the Congregation of Holy Cross awards the Spes Unica award to honor a member of the community who represents the spirit of Holy Cross.  The words "Spes Unica" are borrowed from the motto of the Holy Cross Brothers, and mean “our only hope.” (the full motto is "Ave Crux, Spes Unica!" or "Hail the Cross, our Only Hope!").  While the award is typically given to someone well-known throughout the community or country for their research or other accomplishments, this year, it was awarded to Don Patricio—a man who works at Colegio Andacollo (my school) selling posterboard, staples, and other school supplies and helping with maintenance.  He was one of the first people I got to know at Andacollo, first because I am always asking him for different supplies to use on retreats and for classroom activities J, but more importantly because he is one of the most warm, thoughtful, and genuine people I have ever met.  He was one of the first to welcome me to the school and has never ceased to be someone to turn to for help or to simply chat with during recess and lunch breaks. 

Don Pato doesn’t have any diplomas to boast of.  He doesn’t spend his day in important meetings or with an organization working to solve big world problems.  He has never travelled to other parts of the world.  Rather, he spends his day opening school doors and closets, selling school supplies and helping to set-up and clean-up during school events.  And yet, he was selected to receive one of Holy Cross’s most important awards.  For anyone that knows him, it is not hard to see why.  Mother Teresa once famously said: “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”  Don Pato is a man of small things.  But he is loved, admired, trusted and valued by the people around him because everything that he does is done with a humble and joyful heart.  He is such a gentle person and consistently offers himself unconditionally to be of service to others.  You know how there are certain people that you meet that instantly make you want to be a better person and  just do what they do?  Don Pato is one of those people for me, and, from what I have seen, for many other people as well. 

I have to say, I was very proud to be a member of Holy Cross during this ceremony.  Although it was no surprise to anyone who knows Don Pato why he was selected to receive the award, I think that it was a surprise that he was actually selected given what I said earlier about the award usually going to someone more well-known throughout the city or country.  I don’t mean to say that people selected in years past were not worthy nor that fame negates merit, but I often think that, in our world, the people that most sincerely and fully live out the Gospel message of humility and unconditional service and love often go unnoticed and unrecognized.  God knows that it is just as hard (or even harder, in my opinion!) to live joyfully and humbly day in and day out as it is to accomplish many things or make a large impact on society.  For this reason, I could not have been more happy that Don Pato was awarded the Spes Unica—he is a beautiful example for all of us of the grace that shines in the most humble, small, and seemingly insignificant actions.   

When Don Pato stood up to give his acceptance speech, I was sitting in the choir looking out at the congregation, and I never saw so many thrilled and smiling faces.  Then, to add to his already incredible life witness and story, during his speech he shared part of his difficult journey to faith in Christ during the years of the dictatorship when his family was the victim of death and torture and had to flee their hometown to escape the oppression.  He shared how he met Holy Cross priest Padre Roberto (a U.S. priest who has been in Chile for over 40 years),who, amidst the great suffering and heartache that Don Pato and his family were living, began to tell them about the suffering Christ and the faith and hope that are offered through the Cross.  Don Pato is someone who has truly lived and experienced the Holy Cross motto, “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope!”  He has lived through things that I could never imagine, but instead of hardening his heart to the world, he gives thanks that, through suffering, he was able to develop a profound faith—a faith that he knows will sustain him and illuminate the way that God’s grace is present even in the many difficulties and challenges of life. 

Pasando Agosto: 1000 Anticuchos (Passing August: 1000 Shish-kebobs)

I’m happy to report that the past 2 weeks have been relatively calm in terms of strikes and protests!  It seems that the national strike and the amount of chaos and violence that followed tired everyone out and the movement lost a bit of momentum.  The amount of protests and marches also calmed down because about a week ago, a plane carrying 21 passengers, including one of Chile’s most popular television personalities (Felipe Camiroaga) and several of his t.v. crew members crashed in the sea off the Chile coast.   Everyone was in shock throughout the country and very sad.  They are still doing searches in the sea to find the remains of some on board.  So, with that tragedy, the climate in Santiago has been much more calm as of late.  However, we are waiting to see what will happen today because, as in the U.S., September 11^th is a very significant day in Chilean history.  On Sept. 11^th, 1973, the democratically elected President Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d’etat organized by the Chilean military and endorsed by the United States.  A military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet took control of the government and began what was to become a 17-year long dictatorship, the first years of which were especially characterized by disappearances, deaths, torture, and overall extreme oppression.  Therefore, on Sept. 11^th, there are always demonstrations, protests, and a greater level of disorder.  Many are thinking that it will be worse this year given the education protests.

Apart from this, the past 2 weeks have been extremely busy for me at school!  Last weekend we had a Fonda at Colegio Andacollo.  A Fonda is basically community fair where different groups set up various food stands and there is a lot of dance, music and other entertainment.  At Andacollo, the point of the Fonda is mainly to raise money for different school programs.  Each class at school prepared a different type of Chilean dance to perform, and various groups and classes set up different food stands throughout the school.  Speaking of food, this might be a good time to give a brief introduction to the foods that Chileans most love to eat…for those of you who think of all of Latin America eating rice, beans and lots of spicy foods, you might be surprised J

1.)    Empanadas: In Chile, the most traditional empanada filling is called "pino". Pino is a seasoned mixture of ground beef, onions, raisins, black olives, and hard boiled eggs.  The other most common types of empanadas are cheese empanadas.  They are either fried or baked in the oven.

2.)    Completos: Chileans love hotdogs.  But not just any plain hotdogs.  Chilean “completos” are hotdogs covered with tomato, avocado, mayo, ketchup, and mustard.

3.)    Sopaipillas: sopaipillas are made from a pumpkin-based dough which is fried up and served with either mustard, ketchup, sweet syrup sauce, hot butter, or pebre.

4.)    Coffee and Tea: probably 2 of the most consumed beverages in Chile, served at basically every meal.  Don’t be fooled though, regular coffee hardly exists in Chile because it is too expensive.  Instead, everyone uses instant coffee, the most popular brand being NesCafe.

5.)    Pan y pebre: Bread is the most consumed food in Chile.  By far, the two most common types of bread are hallulla and marraqueta.  At lunch and tea time, bread is often served with pebre, which is a salsa made from chopped tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, garlic, hot pepper, oil and vinegar

6.)    Asados (Barbeques): Chileans love meat and go crazy for barbeques.  Especially on the weekends and around holidays, you will smell barbeques wherever you throughout the city. 

7.)    Vino Navegado: Red wine is also very popular and common in Chile given the great number of vineyards throughout the country.  One drink particularly common in the winter is vino navegado which is a mulled wine made by combining red wine with cinnamon and orange.

 

Ok, so that is the basic synopsis of the foods that Chileans eat the most—I know, it all sounds really healthy, right?  Anyways, during the Fonda at school, I worked at the stand for Pastoral (campus ministry).  All day Friday, from 11am-10:30pm, we worked to prepare anticuchos (shish-kebobs) and stuff to make vino navegado and pebre.  This involved peeling and cutting all of the onion and peppers, cleaning and cutting the meat (beef, pork, hot dog, and sausage), marinating everything together in huge bowls with oil, vinegar, and a seasoning mix and then assembling everything.  We literally made 1000 Anticuchos!!!!  As you can imagine, this was basically torture for me as a vegetarian.  I wore 2 pairs of plastic gloves the whole time….yuckkk!  But on the other hand, I did really enjoy getting to spend so much time with the people from pastoral and getting to know some of the parents and students who came to help.  At the end of the night, we had a funny discussion trying to explain the term “slap happy” which apparently doesn’t exist in Spanish.

On Saturday, we basically spent the entire day setting up the stand and selling anticuchos.  I also had to help set up for the Misa a la Chilena (Chilean Mass) during which a traditional Chilean folk music group played the Mass music and there were different traditional dances performed by Andacollo students throughout the service.  It was beautiful and such an uplifting celebration!  It was so enjoyable for me to get to see some of my students dance.  They were all really excited and kept reminding me of the times they would be dancing during the Fonda so that I wouldn’t forget to come watch J

Another reason the Fonda weekend was important is because September finally started!  In Chile they have a saying that says, “Hay que pasar Agosto,” which basically translates to, “You have to get past August.”  Why?  August is by far the coldest month in Chile.  Despite the many Ohio and South Bend winters I have lived through, I don’t think that I have ever felt as cold as I have in Chile.  This is because there is no indoor heating because it is way too expensive.  Instead, Chileans use estufas, which are little gas-burning space heaters.  Excluding the upper class, most Chilean families usually have about 1 per house, and it is only turned on for a little bit at night before people go to bed and in the morning.  Really, estufas don’t do that much, and everyone basically knows that in winter it’s time to put on layers and layers of pants and shirts to keep warm.   Throughout August, I think I was wearing about 4 layers on top, two on the bottom, at least two pairs of socks, and my jacket only came off right before getting into bed.  Needless to say, my consumption of hot beverages skyrocketed!  The cold is truly hard to shake because there’s no real relief from it, but that’s just part of living through the winter here, and Chilean’s understand that.  How different from our world where we obsess over needing to be comfortable all the time and spend tons of money and energy to consistently live a 70 degree- life.